AN ENCYCLOPAEDIA OF HORTICULTURE. 



Laelia continued. 



which have numerous dark spots around the limb ; lip lightest 

 purplish-white, with darker veins ; middle lobe mauve-purple ; 

 scape two to five-flowered. February. 1. one or two, very cuneate, 

 oblong-ligulate. Pseudo-bulbs terete, thin, slender, about 1ft. 

 high. Brazil, 1880. (G. C. n. s., xiii. 168.) 



. elegans (elegant).* fl. , sepals and petals white or rose, varying 

 to carmine ; lip deep rich purple ; scape erect, three to six or more 

 flowered. It flowers at various seasons, sometimes twice in a year. 

 I. usually in twos, spreading, coriaceous, dark green. Pseudo-bulbs 

 long, slender, stem-like. Brazil, 1865. A very beautiful species, 

 succeeding best under pot culture. (B. M. 4700, under name of 

 Cattleya elegans.) 



L. e. alba (white).* fl. white, 6in. in diameter, having the middle 

 lobe of the lip, and a middle line running to its base, rich 

 carmine-magenta. 1884. A grand variety. (I. H. 526.) 



L. e. gigantea (gigantic), fl. large ; sepals and petals lilac or 

 mauve, profusely spotted with rosy-purple ; lip intensely rosy- 

 purple ; scape many -flowered. Brazil, 1862. A very desirable 

 strong-growing kind. SYN. L. gigantea. (W. S. O. 6.) 



It. e. Houtteana (Van Houtte's). fl., lip with nearly rectangular 

 blunt side laciniae ; median lacinia having at top a much-dilated, 

 nearly reniform, toothleted blade of richest purple, while the 

 ends of the side laciniae have a little touch of mauve on their 

 purple. 



!. e. lobata (lobed). A curious variety, having petals very 

 narrow, and bearing one obtuse lobe on either side, having also 

 rectangular side laciniae of the lip. Brazil, 1869. 



Ii. e. Marshallise (Mrs. Marshall's), fl., petals purplish, hand- 

 somely veined ; lip rich deep purple, broad, wavy, and recurved. 

 Brazil, 1872. 



Ii. e. picta (painted). /., sepals and petals light rose, marked 

 with greyish zones, and small dark purple spots ; lip yellow, with 

 the tips of the side lobes and disk purple. 1884. 



L. e. prasiata (topaz-like), fl., sepals rose-magenta, whitish in 

 the centre, and greenish towards the base ; petals rosy-lilac ; 

 lip white where it wraps round the column ; disk of the richest 

 magenta. 



L. e. Turneri (Turner's).* fl. none more than 6in. across ; sepals 

 and petals deep rose -pink, slightly veined with a darker hue ; lip 

 of a rich magenta, shaded with rose. Brazil, 1863. A beautiful 

 species. SYN. L. Turneri. (W. S. 0. 12.) 



L. flammea (flame-coloured).* fl. Sin. to 4in. across ; sepals 

 and petals vivid orange-scarlet ; lip purple-crimson, beautifully 

 fringed at the margin. March and April. A very handsome 

 hybrid, the result of a cross between L. cinnabarina and L. 

 Pilcheri, in habit somewhat resembling the first-named. SYN. 

 L. Veitchii. 



Ii. flava (yellow), fl. very brilliant yellow, about 2in. across ; scape 

 1ft. to lift, high, from three to five-flowered. April. Brazil, 



1841. A pretty species, similar to L. cimtabarina but rather 

 smaller, and the leaves are shorter and more erect. (B. B 



1842, 62.) 



L. furfuracea (scurfy-stalked), fl. about 5in. in diameter, rosy- 

 purple or bright lilac, with a darker lip ; scape usually two- 

 flowered. Autumn. I. usually solitary, light green. Mexico, 

 1838. A fine species, resembling L. autumnalis in habit, but 

 with much broader petals. (B. M. 3810.) 



L, gigantea (gigantic). A synonym of L. elegans gigantea. 



L. grandis (large), fl., sepals and petals of a light nankeen 

 colour ; lip white in the throat, edged and veined with lilac and 

 purple. Summer. I. usually solitary, rigid, dark green. Stems 

 small at the base, thicker at the upper part. Bahia, 1850. 

 (B. M. 5553.) 



L. harpophylla (sickle-leaved).* fl., sepals and petals bright 

 orange-scarlet ; lip of the same colour, with a white blotch at 

 the apex ; scapes short, erect, five to ten-flowered. February 

 and March. /. solitary, lanceolate. Pseudo-bulbs slender, 

 cylindrical, about 1ft. high. Brazil, 1873. (F. M. n. s. 70.) 



Ii. Jongheana (Jonghe's).* fl. from 4in. to 5in. across ; sepals 

 lanceolate, 2^in. long, of a beautiful bright amethyst-purple tint ; 

 petals ovate or oblong, nearly 2in. broad, with slightly wavy mar- 

 gins of the same colour as the sepals; lip having pale purple 

 lateral lobes, yellowish outside, golden-yellow within, having 

 seven lamellae or plates over its disks ; central lobe of a pure 

 white, with a narrow margin of the brightest amethyst^purple ; 

 spikes one or two-flowered. I. dark green. Brazil, 1872. 

 (B. M. 6038 ; G. C. 1872, 425.) 



L. Lawrenceana (Lawrence's). A garden synonym of 

 L. crispilabia. 



It. Lindleyana (Lindley's).* fl., sepals and petals white or pale 

 rose-colour, 2in. long, lanceolate ; lip rosy-lilac, pale creamy-yellow, 

 blotched and streaked with pale purple on the disk ; peduncles 

 one or two-flowered. I. in twos, thick, narrow, glaucous, 5in. to 

 7in. Ions. 'Pseudo-bulbs erect, slender, 6in. to 9in. high. Brazil, 

 1865. This plant flowers freely at various parts of the year, and 

 remains from three to six weeks in perfection. (B. M. 5449, 

 under name of Cattleya Lindleyana.) 



L. majalis (May-flower).* /. of a bright silvery-lilac, from 4in. to 

 5in. across ; lip blotched with crimson-purple, margined with 



Laelia continued. 



rosy-lilac, centre white; scape one-flowered. Early summer. 

 I. solitary. Pseudo-bulbs ovate, almost the size of pigeons' eggs. 

 Mexico, 1838. A very beautiful species, known to the Mexican 

 Spaniards as the Flor de Maio, or May Flower. It is somewhat 

 difficult to manage, and should be grown in a cool house, being fully 

 exposed to the sun all the year round, and suspended near the 

 glass. (B. M. 5667 ; B. B. 1844, 30.) There is a white-flowered 

 variety in cultivation. 



L. monophylla (one-leaved).* fl. (excepting the purple anther) 

 entirely orange-scarlet, liin. in diameter ; sepals and petals 

 equal, oblong, acute ; lip exceedingly small, adnate to the 

 column; peduncles one-flowered, with two or three greyish 

 speckled sheaths. Stems very slender, one-leaved. Jamaica, 

 1883. A showy, free-flowering little species. (B. M. 6683.) 

 L. Mylamiana (Mylam's). A curious hybrid between Cattleya 

 erispa and C. granulosa, the flowers closely resembling those of 

 the first-named parent ; spike about six-flowered. I. solitary, 

 leathery, ovate, obtuse, Sin. long. Pseudo-bulbs stout, cylin- 

 drical, about 1ft. high. Gardens, 1876. (G. C. n. s., ii. 741.) 

 L. peduncularis (peduncled). fl., sepals and petals of a beautiful 

 dark rose; lip same colour, with darker spots in the centre. 

 Winter. Mexico, 1841. A very pretty evergreen species, with a 

 compact habit, somewhat resembling L. acuminata. (B. B. 

 1845:69.) 



L. Perrinii (Perrin's).* fl., sepals and petals rosy-purple, tipped 

 with purplish-magenta ; lip deep crimson, distinctly three-lobed ; 

 scape erect, three to six-flowered. October and November. I. 

 solitary, narrow, dark green, 9in. to 12in. long. Pseudo-bulbs 

 stout, purplish, clavate, distinctly furrowed. Brazil, 1831. 

 (B. B. 1828, 2.) 



L. P. irrorata (bedewed). fl. light rose-colour; lip nearly 

 white, with a pale yellow disk, and a light purple apex. 1881. 

 A fine form. 



L. P. nivea (snowy). A very pretty variety, having pure white 

 flowers, with the end of the lip purple. Brazil, 1880. (F. M. 429.) 

 L. Philbrickiana (Philbrick's).* fl. very beautiful ; sepals and 

 petals light chestnut-brown, with purple spots ; lip anterior ; 

 blade transverse, sub-cordate, emarginate, deep rich purple, with 

 a little white triangle in the middle of the base ; side laciniae 

 oblong-triangular, whitish, with light purple borders ; disk light 

 purple, with a whitish line ; scape two-flowered. I. in twos, the 

 larger 3iin. long, IJin. wide. Pseudo-bulbs dwarf. 1879. A 

 garden hybrid between L. elegans and Cattleya Aelandice. 

 L. Pilcheriana (Pilcher's). fl., sepals and petals light rose, 

 oblong-ligulate ; lip rolled round the column, three-lobed, the 

 anterior part very crisp ; disk whitish-yellow, with deep purplish 

 veins. Gardens, 1868. A handsome hybrid between L. Perrinii 

 and Cattleya erispa. 



L. praastans (excelling).* fl. solitary, or very rarely two together; 

 sepals and petals broad, rich deep rose; lip crimson-purple. 

 April and May. Pseudo-bulbs and leaf rarely exceeding 6in. in 

 height. Brazil, 1859. A very beautiful dwarf-growing species, 

 often flowering twice in a year, and thriving best on a block of 

 wood or cork. It resembles Cattleya marginata in growth and 

 size of flowers. (B. M. 5498.) 



L. purpurata (purple-stained).* fl. very large ; sepals and petals 

 pure white ; lip very large, sometimes as much as 3m. in length, 

 rich deep purplish-crimson ; scape erect, three to seven-flowered. 

 May to July. I. solitary, broad, leathery, dark green. Pseudo- 

 bulbs large, stout. Brazil, 1852. This species has been often, 

 and not without reason, styled the grandest orchid in cultivation. 

 It is one of the noblest for exhibition purposes ; and grows best 

 in a pot, in coarse fibrous peat, with fresh sphagnum, crocks, 

 and charcoal freely interspersed. The pot must be half full 

 of crocks, and the plants need plenty of water when growing. 

 (G. C. n. s., xx. 533 ; P. F. G. iii. 962 ; W. S. O. 40.) Of the several 

 varieties, the undermentioned are most desirable : 

 L. p. alba (white), fl. pure white ; lip faintly tinted and veined 

 with pale rose, and stained with yellow at the base. Brazil, 1869. 

 L. p. Nelisii (Nelis's). fl. large ; sepals and petals white, tinged 

 with rose on the inside, whilst the sepals only on the outside are 

 of a rich rose-colour ; lip large, reddish-crimson. Brazil. 

 Ii. p. Williamsii (Williams's).* fl. large, over 5in. across ; sepals 

 and petals beautiful delicate rose ; lip rich crimson, very large ; 

 spike three or four-flowered. May and June. I. rich dark green. 

 Brazil. 



L. superbiens (gorgeous-flowered).* /. from 6in. to Sin. across ; 

 sepals and petals rich rose, streaked with red ; lip deep crimson, 

 striped with yellow ; spike about 5ft. high, bearing from ten to 

 twenty flowers near the apex. Winter. I. in twos, thick, leathery, 

 rather light green. Pseudo-bulbs spindle-shaped, long, stout 

 Guatemala, 1840. (B. M. 4090 ; W. S. O. 20.) 

 L. Turneri (Turner's). A synonym of L. elegans Turneri. 

 L. Veitcbiana (Veitch's).* fl., sepals delicate lilac ; petals of a 

 deeper colour, with pale amethyst-purple spots ; anterior half of 

 lip crimson-purple, with a sulphur-yellow disk behind, streaked 

 with purple In centre ; the whole with a narrow pale lilac border. 

 1. dark green, of great substance. A gorgeous hybrid. (G.C.n-s., 

 1883, Aug. 4.) 

 Ih Veitchii (Veitch's). A synonym of L. flammea. 



